Chapter 12 Must be killed!
Cao Qin and Cao Mian hurried back to the palace with the tokens and mobilized a whole group of people to go to Honglu Temple.
There are only a hundred people in the city, which is not many, but these are the palace guards.
Although there was an official token, Rong Xian, who was on duty today, still reported it after learning the news.
The officials were discussing with a group of important ministers about the Liao envoy mission. They were shocked when they heard the news, thinking that Zhao Xing was in danger.
However, he quickly realized that if Zhao Xing was in danger, there was no way Cao An would not report it, and he would not only mobilize one man.
So he asked someone to inquire about the reason, and continued to discuss matters with the ministers.
But what they were discussing was not about someone from the Liao envoy group killing an ordinary citizen of the Song Dynasty.
The discussion was whether to agree to Liao's request and give the coins in advance.
If it is paid in grain, the price of grain and grass in Liao has already increased due to the severe drought.
Using the Liao's grain prices to convert annual coins into grain and grass, the Liao would definitely not do it.
But if it were to be paid at the grain price of the Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty was not willing.
After all, food can be transported easily with money and silk.
What the officials and ministers discussed was how to satisfy the Liao Kingdom and save the Song Dynasty a lot of money.
While they were discussing, a eunuch came in and reported: "Your Majesty, the Minister of Honglu Temple wants to see you!"
The officials were stunned when they heard this, thinking that the Liao envoy had made some other request, so they summoned the minister of Honglu Temple.
After a while, Ge Changqing, the minister of Honglu Temple, walked in hurriedly with an anxious look on his face.
"Your Majesty, something serious has happened. The two sons of Wei Guogong held your Majesty's token and led the imperial army to Honglu Temple. They said that they were ordered by His Royal Highness to arrest the man who beat the common people to death. People from the Liao Kingdom. The envoys of the Liao Kingdom are unwilling to surrender, and the two sides are already in a tense confrontation." Ge Changqing said anxiously without waiting for the officials to ask.
"What?"
Hearing this, the official stood up and said angrily: "Nonsense! Come here, tell me my order and ask Cao Qin and Cao Mian to bring back the imperial army. , tell the prince to get back to the palace quickly!”
"Yes!"
Eunuch Liu, who was standing beside him, quickly responded and stepped back.
He arranged for someone to go to Honglu Temple to convey the official's order, and he went out of the palace to find Zhao Xing himself.
......
Zhao Xing was still waiting in the Kaifeng government office for Cao Qin and the others to catch him, but instead of waiting, he found Eunuch Liu who was beside his father.
When he learned that his father had summoned him back to the palace, Zhao Xing knew without thinking that it was because he sent people to Honglu Temple to pick up people.
Although he failed to deal with the Liao murderer personally, Zhao Xing did not dare to openly disobey his father's order, so he had to go to the palace with Liu Eunuch.
Arrived outside Longtu Pavilion, Cao An stopped, but the eunuch at the door said: "Your Majesty has a decree for Duke Wei to go in with His Highness."
Cao An heard this and followed Zhao Xing. Entered Longtuge.
"My son, I pay homage to my father!"
"I pay homage to your Majesty!"
The official glared at Zhao Xing, looked at Cao An and said, "I asked you to protect Fu'er when he came out of the palace because I trust you, but it's better for you. Fu'er is young and ignorant. , Not only did you not stop him, but you also accompanied him in his mischief?"
"I am guilty, please punish me!"
Cao An felt very aggrieved, after all, Zhao Xing took out the official token? , what can he do?
However, he did not dare to refute, and knelt down on one knee to apologize.
"Father, this is all my son's idea and has nothing to do with my uncle!" Zhao Xing said solemnly.
"I haven't settled the score with you yet, but you have stood up on your own." The official said angrily: "Do you know your mistake?"
He originally wanted to use Zhao Xing's youth and ignorance as an excuse. , simply sent Cao An off, and the matter was over.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Xing actually stood up and took the matter to himself.
"My son is right!" Zhao Xing said.
"You bastard! You ordered people to arrest the envoys of one country, and one bad move will lead to war between the two countries. You still don't know your mistake?" shouted the official.
"Father, the prince broke the law and committed the same crime as the common people. People from the Liao Kingdom beat our Song people in the street, causing them to die from serious injuries. The people are resentful. How can we let him go unpunished just because he is from the Liao Kingdom?" Zhao Xing He said calmly.
"Did I say that I don't care? The people of the Liao Envoys injured the people, so they naturally need compensation." The official said. "Father, it's not that he was injured, but that he was killed. It's a principle that ordinary people know by killing someone to pay for their life!" Zhao Xing corrected him.
"Then what do you want to do? Kill the person who did it? Now the Liao Kingdom is suffering from drought and food shortage. If this trivial matter gives the Liao Kingdom an excuse to send troops, it will lead to the loss of life. Is this what you want to see?" the official shouted.
Zhao Xing said calmly: "My father said that this is just a small matter. If the Liao State sends troops because of this, it means that the Liao State has the intention to send troops. Even if there is no such thing, the Liao State will find other excuses to send troops. If the country wants to fight, just fight. I, the Song Dynasty, have millions of soldiers, don’t you dare to fight with them?”
Cao An knelt behind and listened with excitement, and he wanted to ask for a fight.
The ancestors of the Cao family made great military exploits during the two dynasties of Taizu and Taizong, and were posthumously named kings after their deaths.
As a descendant of the Cao family, Cao An did not dare to compare with his ancestors, nor did he want to lose the face of his ancestors. He has always been the main war faction.
However, now that civil servants control the power, military generals have no say at all.
Zhao Xing's words simply spoke to his heart.
"You are talking lightly, just a child talking about state affairs. Do you think fighting a war is as simple as you think? Now that the national treasury is empty, how long can the war last?" shouted the official.
A trace of disappointment flashed in Zhao Xing's eyes when he heard this. He had always thought that the Song Dynasty's army was weak because it valued culture over military.
Now it seems that it is just an external reason. The real reason is that everyone is afraid of fighting from top to bottom.
Even the Qing Dynasty did not even do this.
In the Qing Dynasty, people ceded land to pay compensation, and that was only after they lost the war.
The officials are right. The money spent in the war, whether it is tribute to the Liao Kingdom or annual coins to Xixia, seems to be a lot, but in fact it may not be able to support a war.
Spending this little money to keep the border peaceful and without war seems to be a profit.
But there is no business between countries. In terms of money, it is profit or loss.
The Song Dynasty's repeated concessions not only allowed the Liao Kingdom to push forward, but also made the Song Dynasty feel weak and easy to bully.
It is even more chilling to those in the military who truly have the heart to serve the country.
At this time, Zhao Xing truly understood that the Song Dynasty was weak not because he valued literature over martial arts, but because his soul was lost.
Looking at Zhao Xing’s stubborn expression, the official sighed.
"Bo Zhong, you go back first." The official waved his hand to Cao An.
“I resign!”
Upon hearing this, Cao An stood up, bowed, and retreated.
"Fu'er, come and sit next to Father." The official waved.
Hearing this, Zhao Xing came to sit down next to his father and said: "Father, although I am young, I also know that blindly giving in will only allow the other party to make further progress."
"Are you very disappointed with your father?" the official said.
"I don't dare." Zhao Xing said quickly.
The official smiled slightly and said: "The Chanyuan Alliance was signed when I was born. Even when I was as old as you, I was filled with righteous indignation. Later, I was established as the prince, and I also determined to destroy the Liao Kingdom and pacify Xixia. However, when I took charge, I realized that I had thought things too simply. No matter whether we won or lost in a war, we needed money to build weapons, armor, and equipment, and we needed money to recruit soldiers.
After the founding of the Xixia Kingdom, both the government and the public suggested sending troops to conquer the country, but they ended up being defeated. After years of hard work, all the money and food I had saved were exhausted. Money and food are the source of national power. However, I have carefully studied the tax revenue and various expenditures from the founding of the People's Republic of China to the present day. The tax revenue is obviously much higher than that of the founding of the People's Republic of China, but the expenditure is much greater, so that it is almost impossible to make ends meet.
I had the idea of reforming to become stronger, but in the end it was too hasty and the resistance was too great, so I had to stop it.
I am very happy that you can achieve this ambition, but no matter what. Both Liao and Xixia are powerful enemies. Now that they are fighting, their national strength is insufficient, and there is no point in winning. Instead of wasting their national strength, it is better to solve the internal shortcomings first and enrich the country and strengthen the army."
"Father, you are right, but have you ever thought about it? The reason why the Liao Kingdom and Xixia did not attack the Song Dynasty was not because of the small amount of money, but because they were internally unstable and unable to send troops. Didn't I say that I wanted to take the initiative to challenge the Song Dynasty? We started the war just to be tougher. At this time, there is a drought in the Liao Kingdom. If we give in, it will make the Liao Kingdom feel that the Song Dynasty is afraid of them, which will only make them more unscrupulous and may even raise troops to invade and plunder. "Zhao Xing said.
"Do you still want to kill the Liao people who killed the people?" the official asked.
“We must kill him!” Zhao Xing said firmly.
The official pondered for a while and said: "Send an order to Rong Xian and ask him to take people to Honglu Temple and arrest the murderers of the Liao Kingdom who killed the people. If the Liao Kingdom's envoys dare to stop them, all of them will be killed. Take it!”
“Yes!” Eunuch Liu responded and hurried out to deliver the order.
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(End of this chapter)